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A wonderful performance from Webb Simpson saw him easily win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

Webb Simpson / Getty Images

Webbcarded a final round of -5 under par 66, to take his tournament total to an unassailable -24 under par, a six shot victory over his nearest rival.

Winning a tournament for the first time since the 2012 U.S. Open, Webb knew it would take something really special to catch him;

“One over through three yesterday and 2 under today felt like a huge difference, and it was because it really let me slow down and pace myself, and you know, try to let the guys come after me. As we were going kind of middle of the round, pins were tough, greens were drying out and I knew it would take a really special round for somebody to shoot 7, 8 under. So, I felt like I was in control, and I asked my caddie, once I hit it on the green on 17 where we stood. And I was just thankful that I was able to kind of manage my golf ball the last couple rounds.”

Second place was shared between Ryo Ishikawawith a last round -6 under par 65 and Jason Bohn with a -5 under 66, to finish six shots off the pace at -18 under par.

Ryowas very pleased with his performance;

“I’m very confident with my long game and getting better with my short game, so my game is good now. I’m pretty happy with the result. I’ve played well these two months, I had a great start. Definitely a great start.”

Charley Hoffmanhad a -7 under par 64 which elevated him into fourth position on his own at -17 under par. He said he was happy to finish so well up the leaderboard;

“When you get that far up the leaderboard every putt you make is worth big dollars and big FedExCup points. So, to get the year started off on the right foot, you always want to make those putts. I haven’t played well here in probably five years, so it’s nice to finally put a decent round together. It was one of those rounds you look back on and it could have gone really low, but all in all, 7 under on the final day is not bad.”

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Webb Simpson has a four shot lead going into the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

Webb Simpson/ A/P

Webbshot a -4 under par third round of 67 to take control of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin with tournament score of -19 under par.

He actually said he was not comfortable with his lead;

“This is a golf course where guys can shoot, as we’ve seen this week, 8, 9, 10, 11 under, so, I have to go out with a mindset of attacking and trying to make birdies. I think the key tomorrow is to, No. 1, stay patient again in case I do get off to another slow start. The conditions were perfect, I knew guys were shooting low numbers. I felt like I was playing good enough. I just was shooting pretty bad, parred 9, dropped the shot at 11. So, it was frustrating. But my caddie just told me to stay patient and let the birdies come. And that’s what happened. I made some putts coming in.”

Chesson Hadleyis on his own in second place at -15 under par, Hadley was stoked with his birdie on 15 and then a hole-out for an Eagle on the par-5, 16th hole;

” They waved us up on 15 and I just roasted a driver up there, I think it hit perfectly into the hill and dribbled up there to about 10 feet. I hit a good putt. It was just a little to the left, so it was a nice tap-in birdie. So that was good. Then I drove it right on 16, and I laid up to the perfect number. And my first thought when I hit it was, `Please go a little.’ Then I saw it take the first bounce and it looked like it just one hopped right in the bottom of the stick. That was huge.”

Chesson and Webb are both from Raleigh, N.C. so Chesson is looking forward to playing with Webb tomorrow in the final round;

“Webb and I grew up playing together, he’s always been more successful earlier than I have been. And you know, he’s been such a good role model and just influence for the game as far as his faith is concerned. I’m just looking forward to playing with him tomorrow.”

Third place belongs to Jeff Overton, his -3 under par 68 giving him a tournament total of -14 under par, Jason Bohn is in contention at -13 under par, and tied in fifth at -12 under par is Sean O’Hair.

Seanadmitted to going through a humbling period in his golf career;

“It was a tough time this year, especially late, because I was realizing I was going to lose my card. I had to get my mind right going into those Web.com Tour events. I knew I had a good opportunity to get my card back, but I had to be in the right spot mentally. I almost felt like I had an identity crisis this year. I was going out on the golf course and trying this and trying that. I didn’t know who I was as a player.”

“I was disappointed going into those events { Web.com} and I think if I kept that attitude, I wouldn’t have gotten my card back. I’m seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, I really feel like I might be playing some of the best golf life right now. I really feel good.”

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Webb Simpson weaves his magic at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to lead by four strokes at TPC Summerlin, in Las Vegas, Nevada

Webb Simpson / Getty Images

Webbfired a second round -8 under par 63 to accumulate his -15 under par tournament total, taking advantage of the perfect scoring conditions. he was amazed at how far the ball was travelling;

“The ball is really going far, I was wondering why the scores were so low yesterday morning because I thought the ball might go a little shorter. But the ball was getting out there and the golf course played a little shorter than I thought it would, and I just putted well and kept going. There’s no wind, no clouds in the sky and it’s really quiet, so it’s easy to kind of daydream. You’ve really got to focus on what you’re doing and talk to your caddie, at least for me. I talk to him about what we’re trying to do here, where we’re trying to hit the ball.”

J.J. Henry followed his course-record 60 with a second round of 71, leaving him tied in second place at -11 under par. With him are John Senden, JeffOverton, Chesson Hadleyand Jason Bohn.

John Sendensaid he was looking for birdies;

“I need to keep on making birdies out there, it’s not as much building a score, it’s just about doing a great job on making birdies, and if that’s good enough to do it, well, hopefully it’ll be me.”

Chesson said it had been a great day, and is looking forward to the week-end;

“It was a great day, it’s been a fantastic start to the week, and to be at 11 under and to have a chance going into the weekend is awesome. I’ve been in this position before as far as Web.com Tour, and certainly a little bit different stage out here on the PGA TOUR. Just looking to manage the nerves tomorrow and just realize it’s just golf, and let’s just go have some fun.”

J.J.was very disappointed with his performance;

“I was 11 shots higher and I honestly don’t feel like it. I didn’t hit it quite as good as yesterday, but the putts just didn’t fall like they did yesterday. All in all, I was a little bit disappointed, but still two rounds to go. I’m right in the thick of things.”

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J.J. Henry shoots 60 to take the first round lead of the Shriners Hospitals for Children event at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.

J.J. Henry / Getty Images

Ronald “J.J.” shot an amazing bogey free -11 under par 60 to top the leaderboard in the first round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children competition, making an Eagle 3 putt of 50 feet on the par 5 ninth hole, his last of the day. He said it was just one of those days;

“It was one of those days, there wasn’t much wind and the greens were pretty soft. It was nice to make that putt on the last hole to make lunch taste that much better. I played solid on the front nine. It’s still pretty cold in the morning, I was just trying to get my feet wet and shoot a couple under par. Any time you start with the round I had, it gives you a lot of confidence for the rest of the week. I thought it was important to get myself off to a good start.I finally made some putts, I’ve always felt like I’ve been a pretty good ball-striker, and when I make some putts I seem to climb the board.”

Just one shot back on -10 under par, following his opening round 61 is Andres Romero. He said he had stayed focused on his golf game;

” I was focused on my game and I was trying to do my job, and that’s all. I feel very good and focused on the game and on every shot. So I wasn’t paying attention to the leaderboard and the other guys.”

Tied in third place are James Driscoll, Jonathan Byrdand Jeff Overton, at -8 under par after their first rounds of 63.

Jameshad an edgy start to his round, electing to play a provisional ball of the first tee. The hooked drive was found, and James went on to make par, he said he then got it figured out, he also spoke about the Eagle;

“After that, I kind of figured things out, after the first couple of holes, everything kind of felt pretty good. I got the putter going and hit a lot of 3-woods out there off of the tees. I kept it in play and gave myself a lot of chances. I actually hit a decent drive and it caught the left bunker. I had to lay up to like 90 yards and had a pretty good number and been working on my wedge game pretty good, so I felt pretty confident over it, and it kind of took a nice little kick for me and went right in the hole.”

Jeff holed out for Eagle on the first hole;

” I don’t ever remember holing out on the first hole any golf tournament, so it was pretty of cool. I kind of felt uncomfortable for some reason on the first tee, kind of pulled it and kind of had a tough little shot underneath the tree and hit a little low snap hook pitching wedge and it rolled about 30 feet and just died right in the center and I’m like, `Sweet.'”

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It was a sad day Monday when the PGA Tour released a portion of its 2013-14 schedule, with one glaring omission. The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic is not part of the new lineup. Tournament spokesperson Tony Morreale announced;

“It was a mutual decision between us and the Tour.”

The Disney event has been a permanent fixture on the Tour since 1971, when Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural Walt Disney World Open Invitational, and in recent years it has enjoyed being the final event on the circuit’s schedule. For sometime now speculation had been building that with the Tour’s transition to a split-calendar schedule beginning next season, and the loss of its title sponsor, November’s event, which was last won by Charlie Beljan, would be the end of the Miracles for the Children.

Ryan Palmer the 2004 Disney champion, said;

” I honestly think it would have gotten a better field as part of the FedEx Cup. It will be sad to see an event like this go away. Disappointed to see it leave.”

The Frys.com Open will start the 2013-14 schedule beginning Oct. 20-13 followed by the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (Oct. 17-20) in Las Vegas. Then following two events in Asia, CIMB Classic (Oct. 24-27) and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions (Oct. 31-3) – the circuit returns to North America for The McGladrey Classic in Georgia and the OHL Classic at Mayakoba (Mexico) in November. After November there will be a break of one and a half months before the Tour resumes it’s season with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions Friday Jan 4 – Monday Jan 7, 2013, at the Plantation Course at Kapalua · Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

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Ryan Moore , who lives in Las Vegas, won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Sunday at TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada with a last round of -5 under par 66, and a tournament total -24 under par. This is Ryan’s second PGA Tour title, he finally shook of the challenge from Brendon de Jonge by grabbing a birdie on the par 5 16th hole, to take the outright lead and then finished with two pars for a -5 under par 66 and a one-stroke victory over Brendon. Ryan said the challenge from Brendon was tough;

” The last couple of days were tough, I was shot for shot with Brendon, and he was playing some great golf. I was able to make a birdie down the stretch when it mattered to hold him off at the end. He was playing great and he was hitting the ball really well, and he was making putts, I tried not to get too wrapped up into what he was doing really for the last two days. I just tried to keep my head and just keep hitting my golf shots, and playing the golf course how I wanted to play it and just give myself opportunities.”

Brendon de Jonge, from Zimbabwe had to settle for second place alone, he unfortunately managed to miss the fairway on the 560-yard par 5 16th hole. He eventually finished with a last round of -4 under par a 67 and a total of -23 under par. Brendon rued the missed fairway on 16, he said;

” Today, playing a little bit down breeze, all you’ve got to do is get one in the fairway, it’s almost a mid-iron in there, so that was definitely a turning point, you know, the bad tee shot there. I played nicely all week, hats off to Ryan. He played great, especially down the stretch. He made a couple tough shots in there on 17 and 18, and he pulled them off when he needed to.”

Jonas Blixt finished in third place alone, he had a disappointing last round of -1 under par 70, with a total score of -20 under par for the tournament.

An Acrimonious Aside

Justin Timberlake has been dropped as the Host of this tournament, it is suggested he was not visible enough for the Shriners people. Did not get involved enough with the day-to-day running and promotion of the Children’s Hospitals or the kids themselves Although Shriners grudgingly announced that Justin did;

“Fulfill his obligations to the tournament and helped raise several million dollars. He wasn’t able to generate greater interest in the tournament, and his star power wasn’t enough to lure bigger-name players to the event on a consistent basis”.

The tournament chairman, Raoul Frevel, was very specific about why they were not interested in continuing;

“Justin’s a wonderful person. But we tried everything we could to get him more involved with our kids and the hospitals. But it seemed that when the TV cameras weren’t on, he disappeared.”

Last week Justin was unresponsive with the local media at the Ryder Cup, and this week a Charity is suggesting that his volunteer participation was found wanting.

Not sure what the real deal is here, but Justin has been the host of the Shriners Hospitals for Kids for four years, it will be interesting to see who Shriners pick next as the Host, who will bring the “bigger name players” to the tournament.

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Jonas Blixt of Sweden is tied at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at Justin Timberlakes, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, at TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada. Jonas has produced two very steady rounds of -7 under par 64 and a tournament total of -14 under par. He shares the lead with Brendon de Jong from Zimbabwe, Brendon followed his opening round of -9 under par 62, with second round -5 and 66 for his -14 under par total.

Jonas thinks that having his family and some overseas friends with him this week, has helped him to relax and not think too much about playing golf;

“I think it’s a lot of things that make me play well this week. I got my family in town, my brother and my sister, a couple friends from overseas, which makes it really relaxed. We’re renting a house together and just having a good time. I don’t think about golf at all coming off the golf course. Just hang out with them. It’s easy to think about something else when you’re in Las Vegas, right. I’ve been working a lot on my ball-striking the last few weeks when I’ve been off, it’s not really there yet, but I got a hot putter and it’s been helping me out a lot the last two days.”

Just one shot behind them is first round leader Ryan Moore who had an amazing first round of -10 under par, 61. Ryan followed that with a modest -3 under pa, 68, for his -13 under par total. Ryan is very happy with his position after two days;

“It was a good, solid round, I definitely would have liked to have seen a few more of those putts drop. But I hit good putts all day. They were just burning the edges, lipping out. All in all, I like my position going into the weekend.”

The combination of desert air and altitude in Las Vegas helps the ball fly through the air more easily, there are 82 players that have averaged 300 or more yards per drive. That sort of distance off the tee for these professionals makes TPC Summerlin a breeze for quality players, the top scores are testament to that.

Major winner John Daly had eight birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to match the best round of the day, John said of his round today;

“Today, I hit the ball really well and I putted good the last two days, which is good for me. The greens are rolling really good, so it gives you an opportunity. If you hit it decent, you can make some putts. But on any tour it’s just putting. If you make some putts you can play really well. This course gives you a lot more opportunities than most courses.”